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I understand how a lot of people might like this book, because the setup of this universe is very good. I personally found the story difficult to follow with an unfriendly writing style and a lot of repetition. Especially in audiobook format it was a little bit of a slog to get through.

Brilliant story within the story. I couldn't put it down. Also, some nice and funny insights on story telling.

Brilliant story within the story. I couldn't put it down. Also, some nice and funny insights on story telling.

Very good story that taught me something about a region of Italy that I don't know that well. Maybe the story could have been developed a little more.

Very good story that taught me something about a region of Italy that I don't know that well. Maybe the story could have been developed a little more.

The real story is kind of interesting but the book is a little boring.

If I were to judge this book on its own merit, it is a solid sci-fi book, but if I compare it to the first book in the series, it is definitely a step down. Of course it is very difficult to follow a masterpiece.

For more than half of the book I felt pretty sure that I was going to give a 5 stars review. Beautiful historic background, compelling characters, interesting plot, etc... everything was going great. Then, all of a sudden, the characters started to act “out of character” and the plot pretty quickly slid to melodrama, then to soap opera and then to absurd, like in the worst B movies in which the actors that were supposed to be smart do the most stupid things...

The first part of this book is a 5. Very original and exciting, depicting a whole new world so different from other sci-fi material. The story then becomes a little boring but overall a good book.

How nerdy can a nerd be? I guess there's no limit and the result is a gripping and funny book that I could not stop reading. The only question I have is if non technical reader will appreciate this book as much as I did.

Great, great, great. I always love when the settings of a book is in a less usual place and learning about South Africa in a very important period was really exciting. The author writes with good flow and even the toughest passages are rendered without too much weight. The performance in the audiobook was also top notch.

Golden Son – A Thrilling, Well-Written Sequel

⭐ 5/5

Color me impressed. While Golden Son follows a more traditional structure than Red Rising, it more than makes up for it with improved writing, relentless pacing, and expertly executed twists. The tension never lets up, and the story grips you from start to finish. The expanded world-building feels natural and full of things to explore, adding richness without slowing the pace. The combination of action, strategy, and character development makes this a truly exciting read—a rare sequel that surpasses the original.

The story is confused, difficult to follow and overall pointless. The book was quite a disappointment. Some scenes are well written, hence 2 stars instead of one, but they are just bright spots in a desolate landscape.

Great, great, great. I'm a big believer in habits and read plenty of books, articles and listened to many podcasts on the subject, plus I constantly do a lot of personal experimentation. So it was very exciting to listen to this audiobooks and to find so many new ideas on the topic and some ideas that I already knew but explained in a more insightful and actionable way. Definitely the most useful book I read in 2021.

Tough rating. I'm going for a 3 even though the book was deeply intense and upsetting at points, but maybe I found the characterization of the poor people a little excessive in describing their ignorance and naiveness.

The book is overall very interesting. The author is a guarantee of an engrossing story. The subject was very difficult to put on page in a convincing way but overall Preston did a good job.

New spin on a classical plot tool. I had fun reading it and it is well written.

Exciting story, great characters, the tension is maintained from the first to the last page.

Maybe there is a little component of envy in the negative reviews of Dan Brown's book. Clearly they're not masterpieces, and they're as unlikely as science fiction but... they're gripping, they drop a lot of interesting facts and they keep you glued to the book. So 5 stars from me and I don't care what the high literature critics say.

The book is definitely entertaining and the style doesn't shift that much from the original author, but somehow I found the story a little shallow if I compare it with the original trilogy, with characters not having the same level of consistency.